Litter Hotline

What Litter Is
Litter is unwanted trash or garbage that is thrown out of vehicles or onto the ground by pedestrians. It is a danger that can cause fires and motor vehicle and personal accidents. It is not only ugly, but it is expensive as well. An estimated cost to clean up litter in Virginia is $25 million annually. Litter makes a community look run down and neglected. Studies suggest that neighborhoods that are heavily littered experience more vandalism and other crimes.

Facts

Hampton Roads spends over $2 million each year to collect and dispose of litter.

48% of all Americans admit to littering.

4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered each year.

It takes 80 - 100 years for an aluminum can to degrade. It takes glass even longer.

Why People Litter

Studies show people litter when:

They feel no sense of ownership or responsibility to the property.

They believe someone else will clean up after them.

Litter is already present.

The Need
Litter has been an ongoing problem not only throughout our city, but across the United States as well. We are all proud of this country and we take much pride in it. It is up to each individual to do their part to help "Keep America Beautiful!"

What You Can Do
Citizens who witness a driver or passenger of a vehicle littering in Newport News can report this behavior to the City of Newport News Recycling Office Litter Hotline at 757-269-2870. Citizens will need to provide the type of vehicle and type of litter, the license plate number and state of issuance along with the time and date of the occurrence and the location of where the violation took place.

What the City Will Do
Registered owners of the vehicle will receive a letter notifying them of the incident and explaining the environmental and legal impacts of littering.